Sustainability at Pringle
Pringle of Scotland have been proudly producing the finest quality knitwear since 1815. We have always designed and produced garments that will last with care and attention. We use only the finest fibres in our yarns, and these are knitted to the highest standards to produce a garment of unique quality.
We are not perfect, but we are always looking for ways to do better, as we continue to make the timeless and beloved clothes and accessories that Pringle is known for. We launched our sustainability project in 2023 with these main objectives:
Improve sustainability, our environmental impact and transparency across the business and our supply chain
Manage our business operations to prevent pollution.
Ensure that we source manufacturing and raw materials ethically and sustainably.
Ensure that Pringle and its supply chain adheres to the highest welfare and health and safety standards.
Ensure the highest standards of animal welfare and yarn traceability.
Minimise waste in our business and supply chain.
Improve circularity within our business.
Current Achievements
We plan to continue our journey towards greater sustainability and becoming more transparent by launching this new sustainability hub on our website to explain our policies and document future goals and improvements.
We have also published our Environmental Policy covering the broader scope of our business. This will be reviewed annually.
We work closely with our suppliers and partners to promote fair labour practises and safe working conditions and require that they agree to our supplier code of conduct and Unapproved sub-contracting policy. We also include additional policies on Cotton Sourcing, Animal Derived Materials, Restricted Substances List and Modern Slavery.
We visit and review our suppliers every two years to ensure that they meet the highest staff, welfare, safety and ethical standards and adhere to our published policies. We also rely on industry audits like SMETA in addition to these visits.
We have banned harmful chemicals from our supply chain and published our Chemical Policy in 2024. We have always avoided using harmful dyes but formalised this with a written policy this year.
We have always sold excess stocks through our outlet stores and on the website. We have also donated stock to charity events and stores allowing them to be sold to raise funds.
Excess yarns are kept to a minimum, reconditioned where required, and knitted into small soft accessories like hats, gloves and scarves. Further details can be found on our Circularity Page.
Samples are sold through our regular sample sales and through our outlet stores. We also designed and produced a collection where we repurposed garments and samples into one-off pieces.
Sustainable and recyclable packaging is used on all ecommerce orders. Our boxes are from FSC accredited suppliers with a 75% recycled content, and craft tape is used to seal the boxes. We also wrap our products in tissue paper that is fully recyclable. We will ensure that any future plastic bags used in the business are made from recycled plastic and are recyclable at home.
We use DPD for our UK deliveries and in 2023 they certified that 37.45% of our parcels sent through them were delivered to customers on all electric vehicles. DPD continues to invest in its all-electric delivery fleet which is now over 32% of our final mile delivery fleet. Further details can be found at https://green.dpd.co.uk
Implement a carbon neutral order policy for all website orders as part of our objective to reduce scope 3 emissions
We are launching our partnership with DHL Express’s GoGreen Plus service which utilises sustainable aviation fuel for international orders. Sustainable aviation fuel reduces carbon emissions by 70-80% when compared to regular aviation fuel and reduces particulates by 90% and sulphur by 100%. We will publish annual statements showing our actual usage.
We visit and review all manufacturers every 2 years . We also rely on industry audits like SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit) and BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) in addition to these visits to ensure the highest welfare, safety and ethical standards are maintained in our supply chain.
We will source the majority of yarns through accredited schemes like Sustainable Fibre Alliance, Better Cotton initiative, or similar where possible.
We will minimise our use of man-made fibres particularly in yarns so that our knitwear can be composted at the end of its life with the removal of any trims and labels.
We are replacing our existing plastic packaging with bags that are made of recycled plastics and are recyclable at home. This will ensure that all packaging is made from recycled materials and is full recyclable.
We also commit to review our policies and objectives on a regular basis.